Trump ally Tom Barrack released from jail on $250M bail

WASHINGTON

A man who was arrested earlier this week on charges that he unlawfully acted as an agent of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was released on Friday on $250 million bail.

Tom Barrack, a close ally to former President Donald Trump who served as his 2017 inaugural committee chairman, secured his bail package with $5 million in cash, $21.23 million in securities and his California home, according to financial news website CNBC.

Judge Patricia Donohue ordered Barrack to surrender his passport, wear an electronic bracelet and subject himself to a curfew and GPS monitoring, CNBC reported.

Barrack, 74, was arrested Tuesday and remained in jail since then. He is one of three men who are being charged with acting as unregistered foreign agents.

A seven-count indictment charges the men with unlawfully attempting to advance the UAE's interests at the direction of senior Emirati officials by influencing the foreign policy positions of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and subsequently continuing to do so after he won that year's White House race, according to the Justice Department.

Barack, Matthew Grimes, 27, and Rashid Al‑Malik, 43, "are accused of acting and conspiring to act as agents of the UAE between April 2016 and April 2018," the agency said in a statement.

Barrack separately faces charges of obstruction of justice and making multiple false statements during a June 2019 interview with federal agents.

Lobbying on behalf of a foreign government is not in and of itself a crime, but those who do so must register the Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.